How can we trust the political class again?

On trust in the broken system

Sheila Walkerden writes: I want to see immediate and decisive action on climate change, raising of Newstart allowance and closure of offshore detention. Also federal ICAC and control over political donations.

Phil Anson writes: The problem is people do this type of survey and complain. But there is no change  and problems are very clear and yet we keep getting the same result from elections. When will enough be enough? Do bush fires have to been seen in city streets, or when you turn on a tap in the kitchen in a city and no water comes out is that when you start to see the problem. So much inaction by people has allowed the government to treat the country with contempt. I believe there will need to be a generation change and someone it either party can show leadership, rather than the way it is now; and stop wanting to be treated like a celebrity but rather engage with the country on where it needs to go.

Marilyn Peters writes: Because I am a bit long in the tooth, I can remember the Paddington Bear “scandal” of a Labor politician. He had to resign. Angus Taylor should be reminded of this event in our political history for a start.

Jaki Rogers writes: Nothing — totally impossible after the last ten years.

Joe Boswell writes: Bernard Keane’s take on the 2019 Australian Election Study is certainly better than Radio National the same morning. RN’s report said the big problem revealed in the study is the electorate’s growing lack of trust in politicians! So, all will be well once we fix those pesky distrustful voters. On the other hand an amazing 25% of voters currently say politicians can be trusted. Perhaps this means they trust the politicians to look after themselves and their mates (and everyone else can go to hell). Wasn’t something like that one of Morrison’s more credible declarations after he took over the Liberal Party? When Keane says the political class is “no longer fit for purpose”, I wonder. For certain purposes it could hardly be improved: the best self-serving political class money can buy, and a political system set up to ensure it stays that way. Would it actually be any worse if the franchise had never been extended from where it stood 200 years ago?

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